A gaming motherboard?

[neigenoire]

Hi, so I've got this question about motherboards for gaming - is there any reason at all to pay 50 euros extra for something like a MSI B150GAMINGM3 compared to a Asrock H110M-HDS (or any other cheap-end mobo for that matter) when I don't plan to overclock anything ever and don't plan on using more than one pci-e slot?

If you're wondering about other parts of my build, this is what I'm considering at the moment:

CPU: I5 6500
GPU: Gtx 970 or might wait for AIB rx 480s to hit the market.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 2133MHz CL13
PSU: Chieftec A-90

 

[Rogue Leader]

Its funny you mention the MSI B150 Gaming M3. Its a piece of junk, do not buy it.

The ASRock has a better chipset, and since you won't be overclocking and using 1 PCIe slot, the only disadvantage may be the audio is probably better on a gaming board, but specifically the MSI is a bad board.

Speaking of junk, take that extra 50 euros you considered spending on the motherboard and buy a Seasonic, Superflower, XFX, Antec, or EVGA G2 PSU. Chieftec is also junk.

 

[neigenoire]

Ok, that's what I thought, thanks!
About the PSU, someone told me that Chieftec model is pretty decent. I'll look into it more closely though.

 

[gondo]

Gaming motherboards will include better cooling in terms of heat pipes and stuff. Better audio and LAN. Also better software such as Windows overclocking, etc... Also being a higher end board, gaming boards are made with top components and higher phase power supplies. They will also be better overclockers.

Personally, gigabit is gigabit. I don't use WIFI except for the smartphone so don't care about onboard wifi. I don't care for fancy killer lan, and any old gigabit is good enough for me. Cabling and switches are what matters to me, not the onboard LAN chip. Also I am a strong supporter of external USB DACs and studio headphones and monitors, so onboard audio doesn't get my mojo going. That being said I don't see the need to purchase expensive gaming boards ever for my use....I just get a basic board that uses the good components, such as a a basic Asus that still has 5x Protection II for all Japanese caps and reliability and warranty.

I'll take a $150 motherboard plus $150 external USB DAC for $300, over a $300 board. Then you still have the DAC for future builds and save money in the long run.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Ok, that's what I thought, thanks!
About the PSU, someone told me that Chieftec model is pretty decent. I'll look into it more closely though.

A decent Cheiftec doesn't burn your house down, however a better PSU will ensure system stability, especially with a high power GPU.

 

[geofelt]

Here is a link to the chipset differences.
Really, the only thing of importance t the gamer might be pcie 3.0 on B150 or higher vs. 2.0 on H110
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1151

 

[Rogue Leader]

Here is a link to the chipset differences.
Really, the only thing of importance t the gamer might be pcie 3.0 on B150 or higher vs. 2.0 on H110
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1151

However the GPU slot on an H110 is PCIe 3.0, only the other slots that run off the PCH are 2.0. In his case with 1 GPU this doesn't matter (aside from the only 1% difference in performance if it did get in the way).

 

[neigenoire]

Alright, I've got my answers, I'll use the extra money to get a better PSU as recommended. Thanks.